WO2003085942A1 - Network game method, network game terminal, and server - Google Patents

Abstract

In a network game, communication between three or more persons can be performed by using the IP telephone or the Internet telephone. A network game terminal includes an audio reception unit having a game communication unit (51) connected to a game server via the network, a player IP management unit (53) for managing the IP address of the online game player, a network reception unit (54) for receiving speech data and music data via the network, a distributor (55) for judging whether the received speech data has a predetermined IP address and transmitting it to the next decompression unit (56), the decompression unit (56) for restoring the speech data and the music data transmitted, a synthesis unit (57) for synthesizing in time series the speed data and the music data restored, and a microphone/loudspeaker I/F unit (59) for connecting a microphone to a loudspeaker (14).

Description

 Description Network game method, network game terminal and server

 The present invention relates to a network game method, a network game terminal, and a game server that are developed on a communication network, and in particular, a network game in which a large number of players (hereinafter also referred to as participants) participate. This is related to the network method that enables multi-party calls in network) —a network game terminal, and a game server. Background art

 In recent years, online games that develop various games such as role-playing games (RPG) and battle games on the network have become increasingly popular. In such online games, the appeal and value of the game should be improved. For example, in a group battle network game between fighters, calls are made between allies or opponents. Chat-style conversations and regular telephones are used.

 However, chat-type dialogues require character input from the keyboard in addition to game operations, which is cumbersome and poor responsiveness, preventing smooth game progress. Become. In addition, communication via a regular telephone is a telephone call method that is unsuitable for games that require a long time due to the great economic burden on the player due to the current telephone charge system. In addition, many-to-many conversations using regular telephones are still possible, but during many-to-many conversations, it is not possible to temporarily switch to one-to-many or one-to-one conversations.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2 0 0 1-3 1 4 6 5 7 describes a network game system having a voice exchange means such as an Internet telephone between two persons such as a navigator and an executive. The system is disclosed, and it is described that the game is made realistic by applying F:!: Cut to the sound. However, the technology described in this publication is limited to two-party calls and does not technically enable multi-party calls in competitive games. In addition, the voice F:!: Kut is merely adding sound pressure and sound quality processing to the voice at the time of transmission, and it is difficult to obtain an effect of dramatically improving the realism and reality of the game. Disclosure of the invention

 The present invention provides a network gaming method that enables multi-party calls and a multi-party call that uses an IP phone or an Internet phone in a network game where a large number of players participate. A network game terminal and a game server are provided.

 The present invention is a network game method in which a terminal having a calling means capable of making an IP call and a large number of players participate, manages the IP address of each player, and selectively selects a call signal including a specific IP address. By receiving, multi-party calls between players can be made.

 In the network game method, it is preferable that a music sound signal including game sound effect data and game message data is received by the call means in addition to the call signal.

The present invention provides a network game terminal having a calling means capable of making an IP phone call, wherein a voice receiving unit of the terminal transmits / receives a program signal for controlling a network game, and based on the signal Participant IP management section, game control section that controls the distribution section and composition section described later, participant IP management section that manages the IP addresses of online game participants, and a network that receives call data A receiving unit; a determination unit that determines whether the received call data has a predetermined IP address; a distribution unit that sends the received call data to a next expansion unit; a decompression unit that restores the transmitted call data; A synthesizing unit that synthesizes the restored call data in time series, and a D-no-A conversion that converts the synthesized signal of the synthesized call data into an analog signal. And a microphone (1) speaker IZF unit which is a connection part with the calling means.

 It is preferable that the network receiving unit receives music data related to a network game together with the call data.

Voice receiving section of the terminal is further previously accumulated call notification sound the sorting unit of instruction Nyori the delivery incoming calling unit is preferably _c the invention comprising a to the combining unit, network Bok workpiece As a game execution unit, a data storage unit that stores data related to network games, a game processing unit that manages, processes, and determines transmission / reception of each data according to the progress of the network game, and a game for each battle IP address of the terminal connected to the network in the network game server that has a battle management section to manage and a game communication section that transmits and receives network game control program signals to and from the network terminal. It has a function of acquiring the IP address and notifying other terminals of this IP address. The data storage unit stores sound effect data and message data in addition to video data, and the network game execution unit further receives the request from the game processing unit to receive the sound effect. A communication processing unit that performs transmission processing of data and musical tone data related to the message data, a control unit that performs control between the communication processing unit and the game processing unit, and transmits the musical tone data to the network terminal It is preferable to include a network transmission unit. Brief Description of Drawings

 FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram showing a preferred network game method of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of registration processing for participation in a network game. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the network game execution unit in the management server.

 Fig. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal of the sending player when one online player makes a call to another player.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the voice receiving unit of the network game terminal. The BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 A preferred network game method of the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment of a battle game in which a large number of players participate.

 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire present invention. In this figure, a first team 10 consisting of participants A, B, and C and a second team 20 consisting of participants D, E, and F are shown. Participate in competitive online games. The terminals 1 2 and 1 2-of each player A to F and the management server 30 that provides this network game service are connected to the Internet network 40, respectively.

 Further, each of the players A to F is provided with a call means 14 in each of the terminals 1 2 and 1 2-'. In the present invention, the terminal 1 2 having the call means 14 is used to make an IP phone call. Is what you do. In the present invention, an IP phone refers to a system that transmits and receives digitized voice data via the Internet network 40, and includes an Internet phone that passes voice data through a public Internet network. With the system described later, in the present invention, the network game players A to F are not limited to many-to-many, one-to-many Internet telephones, and can make one-to-one calls as desired. In other words, a one-to-many or one-to-one call that can be temporarily switched is enabled by a multi-party call between players or control from the game screen.

 Various methods can be adopted as a method for determining participants in a network game. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11 1 2 5 3 6 5 7 and International Publication WO 0 1/2 7 7 7 1 The participant who becomes an opponent or a team member can be determined by such methods.

Figure 2 shows a flowchart of the network game participation registration process. In this figure, the processing procedure of the management server 30 that provides the network game service is arranged in the center, and the first team 10 is located on the left and right. The processing procedures of the players A to C and the players D to F of the second team 20 are shown. The first team 10 There is no difference in the processing procedures of the players A to C and the players D to F of the second team 20. Each player A to F confirms that its own terminal 12 is online (2 1), and if offline, it goes online by a predetermined connection operation (2 2). Following this, for the predetermined participation procedure (2 3) by each player A to F, the management server 30 receives the participation procedure for each battle game, and the network game predetermined reception process (2 4) I do. That is, the management server 30 performs confirmation and inquiry (25) for each player A to F, and determines (26) whether or not all the participants have been prepared. When it is determined that all the participants have been prepared, the management server 30 obtains the IP addresses of all the players (2 7), and sets the IP addresses of all the participants and the IP addresses of the management servers for each player. A to F are notified (2 8). These IP addresses are stored (2 9) in a participant IP management unit 53 described later provided in the terminals 12 of the players A to F. Note that the IP address of the player may be acquired in any of the steps described above, such as the participation procedure (2 3) of the players A to F, the reception process (2 4) of the management server 30, or the like.

 Next, the management server 30 that provides network gaming services will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the network game execution unit in the management server 30. The execution unit includes a game image data storage unit 31 that stores data related to the network game, and a game sound effect. Data storage unit 3 2, Game message data storage unit 3 3, Game processing unit 3 that manages, processes, and determines transmission / reception of each data according to the progress of the network game, Battle management that manages the game for each battle In addition to the game communication unit 3 6, which sends and receives program signals to control network games with the player's terminal 1 2 ) Communication processing unit 37 for performing transmission processing, control unit 3 8 for controlling between game processing unit 34 and communication processing unit 37, network transmission unit 3 corresponding to the so-called IP telephone transmission unit 9, equipped with .

The game video data storage unit 31 also stores character data separated from the video, such as superimpose or telop in a network game. These data and sound signals as normal game sounds In accordance with the same method as that of the work game server 1, the game video data and the game video data are transmitted from the game communication unit 36 to the reception unit (not shown) of each game program of the terminal 12. On the other hand, game sound effects such as voice, music, and sound for network games and game messages such as game messages generated from instruments during the game (collectively these are called music data) )), At the request of the game processing unit 3 4 referring to the battle management unit 3 5, the control unit 3 8 instructs the communication processing unit 3 7 to extract the corresponding musical sound data and prepare for transmission. The data is transmitted from the network transmitting unit 39 to the network receiving unit 54 of the terminal 12 described later.

 Fig. 4 shows the terminal screen of the player, which is an example of the screen displayed on the calling player's terminal 1 2 when the online player makes a call to another player. Has been. On the upper side of display screen 4 1 are connection buttons 4 2 (all opponents) and 4 3 (each opponent) for sending to the first team (opponent), and the second team (ally) on the lower side A group of connection buttons 4 4 (all allies) and 4 5 (each ally) are arranged for sending to each. In addition, depending on the contents of the network game, a button may be provided that allows transmission from each caller to a specific player or transmission from each caller to all the opponents. When the calling player selects one of the connection buttons 4 2 to 4 5 displayed on the terminal screen (mouse click or key input), the desired call data is sent to the intended caller (sender). Will be.

 Next, the player terminal 1 2 to which the call means 14 is connected will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the voice receiving unit of the terminal 12, which is connected to the game communication unit 36 of the management server 30 via the Internet network 40. Manages the game communication unit 51 that transmits and receives program signals for controlling network games, the game control unit 52 that controls the entire voice receiving unit based on the above signals, and the IP addresses of online game participants Participant IP management unit 53, a network reception unit 54 that receives call data and music data via the Internet network 40, and the received call data has a predetermined IP address. Have too A distribution unit 55 for sending to the next decompression unit 56, a decompression unit 56 for restoring the sent call data and music data, and the restored call data and music data A time-series synthesis unit 57, a DZA conversion unit 58 that converts the digital signal of synthesized speech and music data into an analog signal, and a connection unit for analog devices such as a microphone-speaker A certain microphone ■ Speaker IZF part 5 9 and the incoming notification sound (sound, electronic sound, etc.) prepared in advance are stored, and the sound is sent to the synthesis part 5 7 according to the instruction of the distribution part 5 5 Part 60, and.

 In FIG. 5, the IP address data transmitted from the game communication unit 36 of the management server 30 is received by the game communication unit 51, and the participant IP is instructed by the game control unit 52. Stored in the management unit 53.

 In the game terminal 12 connected to the network, the call signal transmitted from another player is received by the network receiver 54 and passed to the distribution unit 55. The distribution unit 55 determines whether the signal has the IP address registered in the participant IP management unit 53, and the signal related to the registered IP address sequentially passes to the decompression unit 56. hand over. Note that it is desirable to provide a plurality of expansion units 5 6 a, 5 6 b, (1), (2) for each received signal in consideration of a failure due to delay or the like. The digital signal normalized in the extension unit 56 is then sent to the synthesis unit 57, where it is synthesized in a time series. In addition, in order for the synthesizing unit 57 to perform accurate synthesizing in a time series, it is desirable that the received signal has an evening stamp.

 Next, the digital signal synthesized by the synthesizing unit 57 is converted to a analog signal by the DZA converting unit 58, and then output to the speaker of the calling means 14 via the microphone 'speaker I Z F unit 59. The synthesis in the synthesis unit 5 7 may be either digital synthesis or analog synthesis. When analog synthesis is performed, the positional relationship between the synthesis unit 5 7 and the D conversion unit 58 is reversed in FIG.

The synthesizing unit 57 combines the call data transmitted from the other players, the type of network game, and other musical sound data (game sound effects and game messages) transmitted from the management server 30 as necessary. ). That is, the management service A signal including a musical tone transmitted from the network transmission unit 39 of the bar 30 is also received by the network reception unit 54 and passed to the distribution unit 55 in the same manner as the call signal of the player. After being synthesized by the synthesis unit 5 7, it is output to the speaker of the communication means 14.

 If it is determined by the distribution unit 55 that the received signal is not a signal related to the registered IP address, the signal is discarded or the incoming call transmission unit 60 sends a dial tone. An instruction is given and a dial tone is sent to the synthesis unit 57. When the dial tone is output to the speaker, the player who receives the dial tone can also detect a call from a non-participant.

 That is, in the present invention, if desired, call data transmitted from other than the game participants can be provided as an incoming call tone.

 Furthermore, regardless of the determination of the registered IP address, the distribution unit 55 may discard the reception signal of the specific person or all the reception signals according to the instruction of the game control unit 52 according to the progress of the game. it can. The control signal of this kind of musical tone data is transmitted from the game communication unit 36 under the control of the game processing unit 34 of the management server 30 according to the progress of each game. Is received by the game communication unit 5 of 1. The processing of the game control unit 52 is effective when a specific person disappears or leaves in a competitive game or the like.

 The network game method according to the present invention enables not only simultaneous calls of a plurality of network game participants, particularly three or more network game participants, but also allows for a call between players by adjusting game sound effects and strength of game messages. Reality and a sense of realism can be given, so the effect of increasing the perfection of the game and increasing the player's satisfaction is tremendous.

 In addition, it can detect calls from people other than players throughout the network, eliminating the anxiety caused by the long-term occupation of the Internet phone or IP phone, which is expected to become the mainstream communication method in the future. It has a remarkable effect that it can be done.

Claims

 The scope of the claims 1-In a network game method in which a large number of players participate using a terminal that has a means of communication capable of making an IP call, manage the IP address of each player and selectively receive a call signal including a specific IP address A network game method that enables multi-party calls between players.  2. The network connection method according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the call signal, a music sound signal including game sound effect data and game message data is received by the call means.  3. In a network game terminal having call means capable of IP phone calls, the voice receiving unit of the terminal A game communication unit for transmitting and receiving program signals for controlling network games; A game control unit for controlling a participant IP management unit, a distribution unit, and a synthesis unit to be described later based on the signal; A participant IP management unit that manages the IP addresses of online game participants, a network receiving unit that receives call data, Determining whether or not the received call destination has a predetermined IP address, and sending to the decompression unit; A decompression unit for restoring the transmitted call data; A synthesizing unit for synthesizing the restored call data in time series; A network game terminal comprising: a DZ A conversion unit that converts a digital signal of the synthesized call data into an analog signal; and a microphone that is a connection unit with the call means.  4. The network game terminal according to claim 3, wherein the network receiving unit receives music data related to a network game together with the call data. 5. The voice receiving unit of the terminal further includes an incoming call sending unit that sends a pre-stored incoming notification sound to the combining unit according to an instruction from the distribution unit. The network game terminal shown.  6. As a network game execution unit, a data storage unit that stores data related to network games, and a game process that manages, processes, and determines transmission / reception of each data according to the progress of the network game Network game server, a game management unit that manages a game for each battle, and a game communication unit that transmits and receives a network game control program signal to and from a network terminal. A network game server that has the function of acquiring the IP address of a terminal connected to the network and notifying other terminals of this IP address.  7 · The data evening storage unit accumulates sound effect data evening and message data in addition to the video data evening, and the network game execution unit further receives the request from the game processing unit to receive the effect. A communication processing unit that performs transmission processing of music data related to the sound data and the message data, a control unit that performs control between the communication processing unit and the game processing unit, and the musical sound data to the network terminal. 7. The network game server according to claim 6, further comprising a network transmission unit for transmission.